Painted Windows
by Nook'n'Cranny
Summary: Toris is tired of being a servant but Ivan is tired of the world outside of his windows always being so cold. How does one solve this? Contains mild fluff and gore: I do not own these characters:


_Some Russia Lithuania angst/fluff stuff  
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The soapy water slide across the surface. Over and over; a slow steady stream that would trickle to the bottom when too much water was applied. The Lithuanian man appeared young, but most would be surprised to hear of how old he truly was. And frankly, after spending so many years doing these chores for the Russian who kept his Baltics all together like a collection, work could get a little hard to concentrate on. His focus faded in and out as he blankly watched the drops of the liquid run across the window and soak the pane underneath.

Liberty was sounding more and more like a long lost dream as years passed. He had not spoken to his friend Feliks in such a long time, although he could say he was grateful that curious Polish man (if you would call him that) was at least safe in his home for once and not dealing with Prussia or Germany or Russia even. The wars had been harsh- Way too harsh...

The Lithuanian's mind flinched away from the subject to something that had less painful memories with it before his stomach ache returned...oh, too late. Instead, he forced his mind into muses of America. Mr. Alfred. A kind fellow. Unlike a lot of his company, the American was generously carefree quite often. Perhaps too carefree, but he was a good employer to the Lithuanian.

Just as he was starting to smile, the door opened behind him and he turned to see a looming figure, armored in his clothing fit for the blizzard outside and usual scarf, all speckled with flakes of snow. Toris felt a terror build up in him as he realized that Russia must have been in one of his moods. It was made clear by the way he held his bottle like a single link to sanity, but what Toris could not look away from was his eyes, questioning and needy, contradicting his smiling lips. Terrifying.

Toris internally kicked himself for hesitating. "G-good evening, Mr. Russia." He smiled, not realizing how his blasted hand had squeezed all of the water from his washcloth and onto his sleeve.

The Russian's violet gaze had a flicker go across them as he smiled wider. "Hello. You're cleaning it wrong, Toris." His voice was as usual, light and seemingly gentle, though it only shocked Toris's blood a degree colder.

"Sir...?" He had to make sure his voice did not falter. Don't let your inside spill out! Just keep that smile there and everything will be- before his thought finished, Russia strode up with heavy steps and towered behind the frantic minion. The Lithuanian, it turn, strained himself to do a perfect job, keeping as calm as possible. It was always so cold here.

"Little Lithuania. I liked it better before you cleaned it." Toris's hand jerked. "What did you do with the picture that was on it?" Russia's voice was airy. Toris knew better than to let his guard down.

"It..." Toris fumbled for a response but was too slow apparently as a harsh hand griped the back of his head and knocked it into the window, causing the thick glass to rattle, but not enough to break it; that would let the draft inside. Russia's smile was childish, with his lips moving, forming small mutters._ kolkolkol _He released Toris's head in favor of taking yet another swig of his vodka. The stench was so strong already.

Toris rubbed his throbbing forehead, his gut suddenly heavy with his feeling of helplessness. When did things turn into this? A gasp broke out of him when the larger man smashed the now empty vodka bottle against the ground and took up a shard of glass. Toris winced and his wrist was grabbed and the glass's sharp tip was pressed firmly into his skin. His teeth clenched against each other and he held in his screams as the shard was pulled slowly down, forming a long perfect cut down his arm. No. He wasn't going to give that sick man the pleasure of hearing him scream. He refused it.

Russia's eyes glowed, entranced with the blood that started to slowly seep down the other's thin arm. Almost as the water did but thicker and with a rich color. His Toris was making that wonderful face again. That expression twisted in pain and fear. If only Toris would let Ivan see that face without being forced to. It really made his insides swirl in a much more pleasant way than after such a disappointing trip to his Boss's house.

Ivan ran his gloved finger along the cut and collected a satisfying amount of blood on it. His smile was almost serene as he placed his blood coated finger carefully onto the glass window and ran it down, then a curve, then a loop and loop and loop...

He pulled his hand back, sticking the now less bloody finger in his mouth and observed his work. A simply drawn sunflower. Not just any sunflower. One made from the blood of his precious Lithuania. That would make the drawing special, yes? Toris's red liquid fire penetrated against the frozen white that expanded endlessly beyond the window. Perhaps Toris's warmth could make the rest of the world seem less cold. That would be lovely. Yes.

His musses were turned to the Lithuanian, who was watching under his furrowed eyebrows. Ivan felt his smile grow, though Toris seemed to have fear flash across his luscious forest green eyes upon this. All Toris saw was a gruesome display of another's pain on the window, flaunted for all to see and have fear submitting them into obeying. They obeyed out of fear. He would teach them again and again how they had to be to be a proper family...he even punished them as all overseers should when one misbehaved. And just as his Boss would want, he made sure to provide for them, but not too much or they would get rebellious and try to leave him. Russia did not have much to give away freely. His Lithuania. His Latvia and Estonia. They needed to learn how things worked or their family would fall apart, yes? No...

Their 'family' would never be right. As Ivan's eyes stared blankly passed the slowly freezing blood on the window at the snowflakes that floated down, slow motion, their cold nipped at him from the inside. It mocked him. He was reminded that even with his 'family' here, they would never be how he wanted. No._ Needed_. He could not keep lying to himself and drinking enough into believing it to his core. He was reminded of how painfully alone this was. They only obeyed out of fear...fear alone. None of his 'family' would show true kindness to the large overbearing Russian. His heart reflected what was out the window. His rapid thoughts were snapped to a stop when he heard the sound of a foot scuffling against the floor. "M-Mr. Russia?" Ivan was unaware of how much colder his smile had gotten.

"Toris~" The Lithuanian seemed to grimace slightly, his fingers curled around the bleeding slice along his arm. Ivan composed himself, shifted his boot, and the next thing Toris registered was the ceiling blurred above him and a sharp pain from a kick to the jaw. As Toris tried to get up, the boot came down hard on his stomach, leaving the other gasping and wheezing. "Clean up the mess" And with that, the Russian promptly left the room, leaving a breathless and bleeding Lithuanian.

_He had hoped the flower on the glass would make the frozen world beyond, cold as his heart, warm up. But it still felt as hardened as ever_.

o-o-o-o

Toris carried envelopes under his bandaged arm. The hallway echoed his steps, long and endless. Eduard and Raivis were getting the shopping done, he guessed.

He knocked on the door of Russia's room and heard a cheerful "Come in!" As Toris poked his head carefully through the door, fearing Ivan was still drunk or sour as last night, he found the other sitting at his desk, tinkering with what looked like wooden dolls.

"More paper work, Sir. These have been signed." The words were robotic. Ivan nodded as if he were not listening, then said, "Leave them on my desk." As the brunette walked forward, he paused at the sight of another drawing on the window. It looked carefully done, as if the artist made it thoughtfully. A chain of people, all holding hands in a circle. Toris was reminded of the sunflower. Each linking arm formed a petal. Warm and soft.

_Red. Warm. Blood was red and a warm color. Why did the snow outside remain the same? _

Ivan was rubbing at a spot on his sleeved arm, Toris noticed. He placed the documents down carefully and turned to leave, but internally flinched as Ivan's voice spoke up. "It doesn't feel right, Toris. Not how it should."

Toris had no idea what to say. He had no idea what the other was talking about too often. "Maybe it would feel right if you applied it a different way, Sir" Toris threw out.

Ivan didn't respond. He turned and gazed at Toris, and it was then Toris saw that his smile was almost pleading. Ivan's violet eyes continued to bare into him "I-I'm going to go s-start on lunch.", Toris quickly said and turned to hurry out.

Ivan stared after the Lithuanian, resembling an abandoned pet, and Toris wondered who's blood it was on the window this time.

o-o-o-o

Today was cold. Like the day before today. And the one before that. And the one before that. And week after week before. Winter was so blurred together in his mind. But today, Ivan decided that he will visit General Winter for a while.

He walked down the front of his home, boots crunching into the deep snow. A frigid drift caused him to close his eyes and hair was blown in his face. He lifted his scarf over his nose, blocking it from the sting. Just then he spotted a long figure of green ahead. A moving one.

Toris had been through an exhausting day and it was not even half way through! Phone calls, visits to the post, cooking, and now when he got back he had more usual cleaning to look forward too. He wondered if Raivis had remembered to bring in the lumber. That boy got lost in his novels so easily, Toris worried the poor boy would be punished constantly. Last time he was dragged out into the snow by Russia to go visit his sister Ukraine. And that was unpleasant for the boy.

"ah-haa" Toris sighed to himself as he walked up to the front door and reluctantly took his hand from his pocket and into the freezing air. At least today had been relatively peaceful.

Just as he twisted the knob -BOOF- Something hard, _cold_, a snowball hit him right behind his neck. He shivered and turned to the source, not enjoying his hair's failure to block out the snow from his neck. He saw nobody there. 'Oh those children are crazy for going out this far and playing _here_. Of all places!' He almost called out to the culprits to warn them of the trouble they could get into when a spot of pale ashen blond hair poked from behind a tree and another snowball was flying right for his face before he could react.

-BOOF- It was_ freezing _and crumpled down his shocked face. He spotted the pale figure behind the tree again curiously peek out to see how his victim had taken the shot. "..."

Toris forced out a pathetic laugh, totally uncomfortable with the whole situation as he turned back to the door. He wasn't in the mood to take another physical abuse from the larger Nation and he guessed it was more than likely Russia would be putting rocks in those snowballs. Was it too much to ask to be left alone!? -BOOF- Another nipping on his leg this time. The Lithuanian bit back an outburst, trying his best to brush the other's efforts off, but this was so childish. Even for Ivan! Russia's grin was seen as he emerged from his hiding place, holding up another snowball. Before the logical side of his brain could stop him, the Toris who had once fought along with Feliks, sword to sword, swooped down, scooped up a ball of the frost, and chucked it at Ivan. It hit and crumbled into white flecks down the Russian's long leg. When he registered the look of surprise on Ivan's face, he quickly blanched and stuttered out an apology for acting out. He had to be one of the stupidest-BOOF!-

Toris had another face full of snow. Russia was giggling. The rather small brunette had grown a bit of fire in him just then. He was not quite sure what it was or how it had gotten there, but it was curiously pleasant, like the flitting feeling of motherly kisses. He scooped up another handful and tossed it again at the giggling Russian, who quickly ducked down and scooped up another large handful. The snow hit the Russian's knee and his face blinked open in mild surprise while Toris watched and gathered more snow both at once.

Now they were both armed with snowballs, raised in the air, eyes locked onto each other. Ivan's grin dared Toris to throw his. Toris's smirk was in turn, challenging the larger. Ivan's snowball was unfairly larger, but that never stopped Lithuania. He quickly flung his at Ivan, who burst forward, launching his mass at the smaller. Each of them took a hit. Toris was thrown backwards into the snow. Ivan let out a hum and pranced up to the Lithuanian.

"Looks like you lost, Toris~" Then Ivan was met in the face with another snowball.

Toris burst into laughter and rolled onto his front, quickly pushing himself back onto his feet as he scooped up more snow and ran back behind the beam of the front porch. Ivan's footsteps were heard, getting closer and closer, then suddenly, it was silent.

Toris felt his insides jump, as he turned to look for Ivan, who was nowhere near where he was seconds before, then yelped when another freezing -BOOF- hit his back. Ivan was erupting in powerful giggles, then too chuckles. Toris's lips pressed together and he pushed his handful of snow into the larger's face.

There was a silence between them. Then in seconds, they were both laughing again. Toris's cheeks were surprisingly warm despite the cold, and Ivan's face was brightly red too. That could have very well been the cold, though, Toris reasoned. He brushed snow from his green coat and head for the house. "Okay okay...I h-have work to get started on, Sir."

Ivan's childish smile almost flickered into a frown, then quickly rebuilt itself. "But...we were just getting to..." His face turned towards the ground and his hands fidgeted with his scarf. Toris found this strangely charming. "Let's just say that you won" Toris smiled. "this time." he added without thinking.

Ivan's genuine happy expression stuck in his mind for the rest of the day.

o-o-o-o

As Toris walked back inside, pulling off his gloves and boots and walking past the window he had cleaned days before, he noticed the pitiful flower, still clinging there, forever wilted as dried blood against glass. He frowned. Would he be punished if he tried to clean it again?

_The flower did nothing but freeze along with the rest of the snow, adding a hideous feature to the rest of the emptiness._

__o-o-o-o

Ivan's mind swirled with happy thoughts. His heart was beating again. Since when had that happened last? He couldn't quite remember. He stared at his masterpiece on the window of his study. It was a little smudged. He must have still been a little tipsy when he applied it.

_It is still as cold and cruel as ever...as they had described his heart. But for some odd reason, the expanse outside looks warmer today._

He sat down and stared at the paperwork before him, but before long, he was staring out the window again. Today felt too good to spend doing work.

As he gazed around the room, he found himself wanting company. It was a nasty habit to want company so often. It would only leave him disappointed. Toris must have spoiled him just now in their snowball fight. Playing with his little Toris. Now that the fun was over, it was time to get his mind back to meaningful things. But no matter how many times he told himself that, his eyes were longingly gazing at the window, then past the window at the snow expanse outside. Then Toris's words echoed in his head. _'Let's just say that you won...this time'_

Ivan smiled. He turned to his paperwork, heart beating eagerly again. He awaited their rematch.

_Maybe Ivan should have the windows cleaned._

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_This was my first fic . Besides that bit of suck I attempted in middle school for Inuyasha. _

_But I typed this up 'cause plot bunnies were attacking my brain and I just opened up a doc and wrote! Feel free to criticize! I wouldn't mind a bit of constructive-learning stuff ovo And I hope you enjoyed. Thanks for reading~ _


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